APNewsBreak: Vets agency gives businesses the boot

Veterans' groups have long criticized the VA for allowing private entities and outside organizations to rent parts of the campus. The ACLU said it filed its lawsuit after the VA failed to live up to previous promises to increase services for homeless vets.

The VA said in a statement that it was evaluating its leases in light of a recently released master plan for the campus, which requires the agency to look at whether the contracts directly benefit vets or are otherwise consistent with the VA's mission and whether they are compatible with the surrounding community.

The plan, which was finalized in June, also provides for more veterans housing on the site and other new facilities.

Hernandez declined to comment beyond the statement, citing the lawsuit. She was not immediately able to explain why Sodexo was told it would have to leave months before the final draft of the plan was released. Sodexo's notice was received months before the ACLU filed its lawsuit.

ACLU attorney Mark Rosenbaum said he interpreted the suspension of the leases as an acknowledgment that they had never been lawful under the terms of the original intent of the lands' donors.

"It really is an admission of liability," he said. "It's got nothing to do with the master plan."

Tumbleweed CEO Erin Benfield said she was hoping to convince the VA that her business meets the agency's criteria for the campus, since the buses are regularly used to transport veterans for free.

Friedman said Sodexo would not seek to remain on the campus and was scouting for a new location nearby.

Enterprise Spokeswoman Laura Bryant released no details about its plans concerning the VA campus apart from confirming that it was being forced to vacate.

Several of the parcel's tenants are apparently being permitted to remain.

The Brentwood School, a private school that uses an athletic complex built on the site, has received no notice from the VA, said Gennifer Yoshimaru, a school administrator.

University of California, Los Angeles athletics spokesman Mark Dellins said his department had received notice from the VA that it would be able to continue using a baseball stadium on the medical centers' property.

The campus also hosts organizations that directly offer veterans' services, including the American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles, the Salvation Army and New Directions Inc., a transitional housing and substance abuse counseling provider.

Representatives for those organizations said they have received no communications from the VA about the continuation of their leases but did not think their presence would be a problem for the VA.

"We're not the least bit concerned," New Directions spokeswoman Cindy Young said.